there's a half moon over the ocean tonight
by LogicalDreamer
Summary: <html><head></head>"I'll probably regret asking this, but have you ever made out with my brother outside of water?" Monster AU.</html>


The front door banged.

"Rin, you left fur all over the floor again," Haru intoned, sweeping up the offending clumps.

A heavy groan answered him as Rin leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed and a messenger bag dangling from one arm.

"I can't help that it's getting hot, I'm shedding!"

"You could pick it up when you noticed." With the hardwood now clean of any stray hair, Haru stood and tapped the dustpan against the side of the garbage can, which gagged but swallowed, displeased at being fed something as insubstantial as fur.

"When I have a boyfriend that likes cooking and cleaning so much?" Rin darted over and draped himself over Haru's back, hot breath fluttering the strands of dark hair. "Why would I do that?"

Haru huffed.

"I don't like cleaning, I just think it's therapeutic."

"Same thing, in the long run."

With a quick kiss to the curve of Haru's jawline, Rin released his boyfriend and opened the cupboard, pulling out a protein bar and sticking it in his mouth as he removed his shoes and placed them by the front door.

"Hey, are you going to Nagisa's party tonight?" he asked, words muffled around the food.

Shrugging, Haru put the dustpan and broom away.

"It's right by the oceeaaannn~" Rin drawled, grinning as Haru stilled immediately.

"You're as bad as Makoto," the shorter boy muttered, turning to glare at Rin half-heartedly.

"Yeah, so you're coming, right?"

Haru didn't reply, which meant, yes, he'd deign to grace the party (or at least the ocean) with his presence. If Rin knew him at all, he'd say hello to his friends and then immediately jump into the water, changing forms seamlessly. Rin grinned. With only the briefest ripple of skin, Haru shifted into the most graceful of marine creatures, fitting of their human form.

Too bad his own wolf form could hardly swim and smelled terrible wet. But sometimes Haru let him grab hold of a horn or dorsal fin and would lead him out to open sea.

"Rin."

He turned, balancing on one foot and narrowly avoiding crashing to the floor.

"_Shit_- what, yeah?"

"Swim with me."

RIn raised his eyebrows. "Now?"

"Like this."

Ah. They were only on the same ground in their human forms, equally built and equally prepared to push the other to their physical and mental limit. Rin loved these races and the adrenaline they sent coursing through his veins, the connection that seemed to unite their hearts and minds and bodies in a way that shapeshifting could never hope to. And neither he nor Haru could ever turn down the promise of such an experience.

"We have to be done in time to get ready for the party," he added, because otherwise they'd miss it entirely and spent the whole night swimming and kissing on the rocks. Needless to say, it had happened before.

"Okay," Haru agreed, and nearly dislocated Rin's shoulder yanking him out the door.

"Hey, guys!" Nagisa's fangs gleamed almost as brightly as his eyes, and his hair was suspiciously tousled. "You guys are kinda late! What were you up to, hm?"

Rolling his eyes at the question, Rin kept his mouth shut.

"Haru's hair is wet!" The vampire shut the door behind them, rocking on the balls of his feet. "So you were in the ocean, or perhaps the shower..."

"Nagisa!"

He giggled in face of Rin's second-worst glare and darted off, tossing a wink over his shoulder. "There's food in the living room, but some people might already be at the bonfire outside!"

No doubt he was on his way to harass some other party goer, or perhaps just Rei, who was also a party goer but lived in the same house and therefore didn't count. The farsighted faerie would be no doubt watching the food, making sure no one made a mess and rearranging plates every time something disappeared and disrupted the carefully constructed radial designs.

A shoulder nudge brought Rin back to his senses, and he shrugged his shoes off next to Haru's, on the doormat. The coatrack reached amiably for their jackets and held them tightly in carved wooden fingers.

"Wanna find some food?" Rin made a face. "It's probably all disgustingly sweet and full of strawberry flavor."

"Then why did you suggest it?"

The redhead scoffed and opened his mouth to retort, but a despairing wail from the next room cut him off.

"Sousuke! How could you? It's ruined, ruined! There is no beauty in stray crumbs and careless drops of sauce!"

A smirking Rin led Haru into the room, snickering at the distraught expression on Rei's face and amused one on Sousuke's. Makoto just looked apologetic, and quickly reached down with a napkin, taking a large bite out of the appetizer.

"It's okay, Rei, look, it's even now!"

Rei sighed as though the entire platter had been thrown to the floor, and adjusted his glasses. His wings twitched in irritation.

"I appreciate the gesture, Makoto, but I'm afraid- oh, really?!"

Makoto's carelessly large bite had left a smear of sauce on his lower lip, and Sousuke had made it his mission in life to suck the sauce and possibly all the blood out of that lip.

Groaning, Rin flicked one of his friend's long, curled horns, earning a sleepy glare from the incubus.

"Hey, Rinrin." Sousuke grinned, teeth glinting. Behind him, Makoto was blushing fiercely, and appeared to be having a hard time not just returning to his tree form right there in the middle of the floor. "Just enjoying the refreshments."

Rin was not amused.

"Oi, don't call me that, and save your cravings for home."

"Tch." Sousuke turned to Makoto, chin lowered in apology for embarrassing him, but Makoto merely smiled sweetly and turned to the other couple.

"Hi, Haru, Rin. How was the water?"

Haru, of course, was unfazed by this mind reading, despite it not being listed in any description of dryad abilities. Apparently it was unique only to Makoto.

"Nice." He idly watched Rei usher the appetizers back into the kitchen, mumbling under his breath. "Warm, but with a breeze."

Makoto tilted his head to the side and smiled again, in his usual puppy dog fashion. "That sounds nice. We'll have to take a dip while we're here!"

His boyfriend grunted in response. and Rin noticed Sousuke squeeze the dryad's hand. They were nearly the same size, but Sousuke's mere presence filled a room, while Makoto was only imposing if he was really making an effort, and even then tried to be nice about it. It was an interesting dynamic. And Sousuke was awfully fun to tease.

"Right," he smirked, aware of Haru staring out the screen door on his left. "We'll leave you alone, then. Come to the bonfire, I'll bet we'll play some stupid embarrassing game."

Sousuke rolled his eyes. "Can't wait."

With one last bright smile, the couple moved away, still investigating the snack table. Rei finally came back in, tray apparently arranged to perfection, and set it down with a stern look on his face that warned anyone against actually eating the food that he had so carefully set up.

Off to the side, muffled music could be heard, and when Rin poked his head through the crack in the door, he could see Ai and Momo watching _The Nightmare Before Christmas_ with rapturous looks on their faces. It would only be a matter of time before one or both of them would be bursting into song during swim practice.

As they made gradually made their way to the backyard, Haru only made one pitstop, to grab several pieces of grilled mackerel on sticks, which had hardly been touched and had probably been prepared for his sake alone. Sticks in hand, he made a beeline for the door, where he stood and glared at the handle he didn't have the hands to pull.

He turned the glare to Rin as the taller boy's laughter grew louder. After a few minutes of letting him stew in the consequences of too much damn mackerel, Rin slid it open, enjoying the cool breeze that washed over his face and blew the stray hairs out of his eyes.

The bonfire was low, with Gou's friend Rin could never remember the name of stoking it with a painfully bored expression. Every once in a while she pulled out her phone and tapped a text to someone. Logs were set up around the fire, along with folding chairs and even an old mattress. Clearly the party was intended to move outside before too long.

"We were literally just here, y'know," he said to Haru, who was already short one mackerel and halfway down the beach. "Like, twenty minutes ago, a little farther along the coast."

"It's why we came." He perched on the edge of the water, creating a dip in the wet sand, and calmly ate the rest of his snack.

"Not exactly, I mean, our friends are here." Rin sat next to him and stole one of the mackerel sticks, earning a sidelong gaze that softened when he inspected and actually ate the treat. "They'll be out here soon. You can swim later."

"No one's out now."

Rin rolled his eyes and sighed. "Come on, just-"

"Bring your plates and cups! There's a garbage can, so remember: no littering!" Nagisa's bright voice wound its way down to them, and the noise of the party slipped through the open door and followed its owners down to the fire. Gou's friend - Hana! Finally, he'd remembered - bounced to her feet, relieved to be freed of her duty. Her pointed ears twitched, and Rin watched as her toes left the sand a few times, just by inches, as she squeezed past people to return inside. He wondered if there were any snacks left for her.

"I should have known you two would be out here!" Nagisa chirped, running down to sling his arms around them and nearly impaling himself on the last of Haru's skewers. "Don't be party poopers! We're going to play some games over by the fire, and roast marshmallows later!"

"Too sweet," Rin complained, but he grinned back at the blond boy. "But I'll join. Haru?"

"Harrruuuuu?"

Haru didn't look at them. His gaze was on the water lapping at his toes, and Rin let out a hiss of exasperation.

"Whatever. When you decide to join us commoners, I'll have a seat for you."

"I'll come." With an amount of grace and fluidity Rin could never stop marveling at, Haru stood, a blank expression on his face.

The grace was nearly lost when Nagisa slammed into him, grasping one of his hands and one of Rin's and dragging them back up the shoreline, laughing manically the whole time. Those he passed knew to get out of the way, and chuckled when he let go and let their momentum propel them into an unoccupied log. Luck had it that Rin missed the log with his arms and instead ended up sprawled over it.

So much for finely honed athleticism.

He glared at everyone through his bangs, cheeks nearly the same shade, and quickly righted himself, folding his arms. Even Haru had a tiny smile of amusement on his face, of fucking course, though the way he situated himself close enough that their sides brushed quickly earned him forgiveness.

"I always heard werewolves were clumsy, but I thought it only applied to their wolf forms," Sousuke grinned from across the fire. His horns glinted with reflections of the flames.

"Shut up!"

"Oh, right." The incubus scratched his ear and leaned forward languidly with his elbows on his knees. "It's just you."

Rin leapt to his feet. His fingernails grew longer and began to curl. "See if you can say that again before I wipe that look off your face!"

Standing slowly, his dominating height saying what words couldn't, Sousuke leaned across the low fire, one eyebrow cocked.

"_Bite me_."

Silence reigned over the campfire as everyone watched in morbid fascination, except for Haru, who was staring at the ocean again. The tension grew, piling and building like waves tumbling over each other, as the two boys' heads got closer, until-

They bumped fists. Rin burst out laughing, and Sousuke's sleepy smile made an appearance.

"You're such an ass," the redhead laughed, his claws retracting to avoid piercing skin.

"And a fine one at that," Sousuke smirked, plopping back down and wrapping an arm around a smiling Makoto's waist.

"Get a room," said Seijuro, who had just sat down next to Gou.

"Yeah, a room with a camera."

"Nagisa!"

"I'm just of the opinion that they shouldn't be wearing shirts."

"G-gou!"

"It's Kou!"

"Everyone! If I could have your attention!"

All heads turned in Rei's direction, who was balanced on a log with his fingers spread over his glasses, with a triumphant smile and flared wings. He inclined his head to acknowledge the attention.

"The bonfire will be fully lit to its highest capacity, and we will begin the party!"

"Isn't the party already going?" Ai was sitting on the ground in between Rin and Seijuro, wings delicately folded behind his back.

"Yes! But no!" Rei announced, pinwheeling his arms. "The official party activities have not yet begun. Momotarou!"

"Yeah!"

An orangish-red blur barreled out of the house, a circle of light illuminating the sand around it. It was Momo, of course, his powers in full swing and hair alight. He leaped over the first log and jumped right into the fire pit, eliciting a few shrieks at the spray of hot embers. A fiery column burst from the pit, nearly twenty feet into the air, and then sank back down to Momo's height, burning brightly and fiercely. Momo laughed wildly and stepped back out, though the fire kept its intensity. His hair regained its normal length, flickering slightly, and the glow of his skin diminished to its usual luster.

"And what did you think of _that_, big brother?"

Seijuro grinned and didn't even stand to give him a whopping thump on the back.

"Fantastic! Try not to melt anyone's face off next time, though."

"Aw...I thought it was perfect..." Momo's shoulders slumped dramatically.

"You did very well!" Ai blurted from his seat on the sand. "Just be careful of stray sparks, and it will be perfect!"

"Hey! Thanks, Ai! I'm gonna sit by you!"

"Oh-"

The fire demon threw himself on the sand, halfway over Seijuro's feet, much to his brother's annoyance. Ai made sure to keep his feathery wings away from the heat of the other boy's skin and hair, but didn't protest.

"Have I told you about my stag beetle collection?"

"Okay!" Nagisa took Rei's place standing on the log, though he had considerably less balance and had to keep moving to stay upright. "Our first game is, of course, Truth or Dare!"

Collective groans came from every section of the circle.

"Whaaat? It's fun!"

"It should just be called 'Invasive Personal Questions and Mildly-Sexual Acts,' " Gou protested. "Last time I played I had to pour a cup of ice down my shirt!"

"Why wasn't I there?"

"Nagisa!"

The blond boy held up his hands in an effort to pacify everyone. "Fine, fine, just one round? Please? It's fun!"

"I'll play, but please nothing too awkward, everyone?" Makoto finally said, looking around pathetically. "Let's be reasonable."

Rin rolled his eyes and leaned forward. "Let's just get this over with." He felt Haru twitch next to him and stuck an elbow in his ribs.

"I'll go first!" Nagisa made a show of looking around the circle, walking around, hesitating, and then moving on, humming thoughtfully all the while. "Gou!"

She sighed. "Dare."

"Let Seijuro do your makeup and keep it on the rest of the night."

"Fine!"

And so the games began.

It was a eighteen minutes to midnight. Sousuke's face was covered with smudged lipstick, Rei was gargling mouthwash, and Makoto and Seijuro only had their underwear and socks on. Yet somehow, no one had managed to push their way out of the morbid entertainment and found the motivation to leave yet. Ai had actually fallen asleep at one point, and had been adorned with tiny Sharpie ducks by Momo and Nagisa.

"Hmm...Haru!"

His hair had been clipped back at some point, with all of Gou and Nagisa's most sparkly barrettes and hair ties. Rin still hadn't decided if it was cute or just plain weird.

"Truth."

Originally everyone booed at the victim's choice of truth, but as energy (except for Nagisa's) began to wane, more protests came from those who had to think of something to ask than those who would rather see a dare performed.

Gou's head lolled to the side as she leaned back against Seijuro's knees. Her bare feet were propped up against the edge of the fire pit, exposing a few tendrils of the magic runes that covered the majority of her body.

"I'll probably regret asking this, but have you ever made out with my brother outside of water?"

An uproar followed the question. Even Makoto shrugged his shoulders when Rin stared at him beseechingly.

"I want to know," he mouthed, and Rin let his head fall into his hands.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to, Haruka," Rei said, pushing up his glasses.

"No, I want to hear the answer!"

"Wait, does regular kissing count or does it have to be with tongue?"

"Haru? You got an answer for us?"

Haru eyed Rin for a moment, then faced everyone. The flashy adornments in his hair were at odds with his deadpan expression. He opened his mouth.

"If I answer, can I go swim?"

"Yes!

"Of course!"

"To be honest, I'm surprised he's still here..."

He nodded in understanding. "Then no."

A second uproar, this time filled with sleep-deprived laughter. Predictably, Rin spluttered and turned at least six different shades of red.

"H-Har- You can't- You're not allowed to just _say_ that!"

"I had to tell the truth," Haru shrugged, already stripping down to his jammers.

"But-"

"I bet they haven't even kissed outside the water!"

"Does Rin need a boost?"

"Hey, fuck you, I-"

Rin didn't shut his mouth but he did stop talking when Haru grabbed his wrist and yanked him along for the second time that day. He stumbled along the sand, tripping over his sweatpants. Catcalls followed them, with whoops and cheers.

"Gonna go prove it right!"

"It's getting late, don't take all night!"

"Hey, that rhymed!"

"Yeah, Haru!"

The noise faded as they ran along the beach. Haru let go of Rin's wrist so they could jog at a comfortable pace, and he pointed to a small outcropping of rocks that were submerged at high tide. They had often investigated the tide pools there together, drying off after a swim before the water washed back in.

"Why'd you do that?" Rin scowled, wiping at his nose. "They didn't need to know!"

"It doesn't matter."

"Yeah, but now they'll think-"

"Rin, please don't cry."

He wiped at his nose again and growled as they slowed to a walk. The rocks were slippery, and it wouldn't do either of them any good to take a tumble and bleed out from a head wound. " 'M not crying! Nose is just running."

Haru sighed and turned to his boyfriend, pushing the light sweater off his shoulders. Werewolves had high body temperatures, and Rin hardly ever wore anything heavier than a sweatshirt.

"They don't care. You shouldn't care either."

"Still..."

Rin let the dark haired boy pull off his shirt, confused but not disappointed with this turn of events. "I thought you were swimming. Why'd you bring your jammers?"

Haru let out of a puff of air and turned his head to the side, eyebrows furrowed. He muttered something that sounded like _so annoying..._ and let Rin continue the undressing himself, taking out his own hair clips.

"I wanted to swim."

"Uh, yeah. That doesn't answer my question." Rin tugged at the front of his pants, enjoying the oddly satisfying sound of the snaps on the sides unclasping. He'd had the foresight to bring an old pair of legskins, as well. Even if Haru hadn't been a marine shapeshifter, he'd know to bring a suit wherever they went.

Haru sighed again and turned to face him, cheeks tinted pink.

"I like swimming best when it's with you."

And it never failed. Any sign of affection or attention made Rin blush like a schoolgirl and sometimes even tear up. He'd never get over the fact that Haru had chosen him, the guy who yelled and sulked and constantly shoved him out of his comfort zone and said things he didn't mean. Not Makoto, who's love and advice was unconditional, and not solidarity, which was easy and known and comfortable, but Rin.

Yeah, there were the tears in the corners of his eyes.

Haru looked halfway between exasperated and panicked, with eyes wide and hair mussed from the clips.

"I told you not to cry."

The taller boy sniffled and choked back any embarrassing sounds before hugging his boyfriend tightly, for only an instant. Then he was running for the water, feet kicking up water and sand.

"You coming or what?"

He glanced back just in time to see a small smile light up Haru's eyes.

Okay, so maybe they did end up making out in the water.

There had been races, and Haru had shifted to give Rin an even faster dash under the water, but it wasn't as much fun in the dark, with nothing to see but the pale, blurry form in front of him. So they'd stayed close to shore, Rin doing showy tricks underwater like handstands and somersaults, and Haru merely drifting.

Rin came up from walking on his hands, gasping for breath. He'd made it all the way down to the steep drop, where it started to really get deep, and then back. It was a great deal harder to hold his breath upside down than horizontal.

"Hey, Haru, I bet you can't-"

Much closer than expected, Haru pressed himself against his side, the smooth, pale legs that had never shifted digging their toes into the sand next to Rin's. He placed a single hand on the muscle that led from Rin's neck to his shoulder, and pressed a water-slick kiss there. Rin let his breath out in a soft sigh, and nudged Haru's wet head with his own.

"Hey," he breathed.

He felt Haru's lips curve into a smile as they moved up his neck to his jaw, and finally to his own.

The world shrank to envelop only them, Haru's thin hands on Rin's biceps and Rin's fingers cradling Haru's slender hips. It's a blur of chaste kisses and innocent caresses, as Haru brushed the hair out his eyes. Light from the half moon pooled in the dips of his collar bones.

"Your hair's getting long again," he told him, fingers leaving cool trails on Rin's cheek.

"It grows fast."

He leaned in, cupped Haru's face, felt as much as heard the murmur of approval from Haru, and pressed a gentle kiss to the corner of his mouth. Haru responded with a flick of his tongue, and then they dived into each other.

Rin's hands were wound around his neck, slipping and sliding along wet skin, and Haru gently leaned him against a rock, providing a cool counterpart. Rin was only conscious of the slow sensory rush, the staggered, hot breathes Haru left on him.

Only ages later, possibly years, did they break apart. Haru's mouth was pretty and red, and Rin removed one of his hands from his waist to press a thumb against it.

"We should get home," he said. His eyes roamed over Haru's face.

Haru let him pull them both back to shore, willing but unhelpful.

"Let's stay here," Haru said suddenly, watching the water film over the rocks. The tide was coming in.

"What? No, one of us will catch a cold or drown."

Haru rolled his eyes.

"No, on the beach."

"You want to sleep on the beach?" Rin grunted and ran a hand through his still damp hair, making it stick up. "Haru..."

"I want to sleep on the beach," he repeated, stubborn.

"Ugh, fine! We'll sleep on the beach!"

Rin threw himself down on the dry sand. The bonfire was still burning, low, and people could be seen sprawled out around it in various positions. A few people had either left or opted to sleep inside.

The sand was cool and soft. He flopped down on it, determined to convey his irritation to Haru, no matter how slight.

Haru settled into it more quietly, determined to show Rin exactly how little he cared.

"You're a pain," Rin said. He grinned up into the sky. "But hey."

Sand shifted as Haru turned his head. "What?"

"I didn't check the calendar tonight. Could've been a full moon."

His head turned back. "You can feel it change anyway."

Rin couldn't hide his slight surprise. "How could you tell?"

Haru huffed. Clearly a greater degree of conversation was too much effort. "You act more emotional at different times during the cycle."

"Really?" He folded one hand behind his head and stretched the other out, eying the slivers of the moon through his splayed fingers. "Huh. I never noticed."

He wiggled his fingers. "The moon pulls at the ocean, you know."

"Yeah."

They lay in silence, until Haru made a minuscule movement in the sand. Rin glanced at him out of the corner of his eyes, and watched as those long fingers twitched and curled into his body.

"Cold?"

Haru pressed his lips together.

Rin sighed and rolled over, one arm thrown over Haru and the other tucked between their chests. The shorter boy averted his eyes, cheeks pink, but let Rin do as he pleased. After a solid minute of remaining stiff, he finally allowed himself to melt and wiggled into Rin's naturally heated embrace.

The redhead smirked triumphantly. "You like it."

"Hm."

"You like me."

"Sure."

Rin laughed and nuzzled into his neck, settling his face there. He let his lips graze the side of the Haru's neck, with the slightest inclination of teeth, eliciting an fond sigh.

"Go to sleep, Rin."

"Mm."

He fell asleep to the slow, steady throb of Haru's heartbeat, bright hair spread across his chest, and to the soft lull of the waves on the shore.

"Well, look at the treasure I dug up on the beach!"

Rin groaned and dropped a hand over his eyes, trying to shield himself from both the sun's rays and Seijuro's booming voice. It didn't work.

"Brother! I never thought you were such an exhibitionist."

"Will everyone come help clean up, please?"

"At least Rin brought his suit..."

Haru shifted under him, eyebrows drawn together in irritation. Rin couldn't bring himself to willingly register anything outside of his own body and the warmth of Haru's. Unfortunately, the details of the real world began to bleed in as well. Sand was gritty between their bodies and caked on the ankles, and he was too hot.

"Go away." He glared blindly at the forms silhouetted against the sun.

"You're the only ones still asleep," Rei informed them, crossing his arms. "Even Nagisa's awake, and we'd like for you two to help us clean up."

"What happened to your internal alarm clock?" Seijuro asked, hands on his hips.

Rin groaned, but shook Haru's shoulder gently, because it was only fair.

"We're needed for labor," he muttered, pushing himself up.

Scowling at the light, Haru sat up as well. He glanced at the figures responsible for waking them, but didn't move to stand. Rin scowled at him in spreading irritation.

"What are you waiting for?"

Haru's expression didn't even flinch as he wrapped those thin fingers around the nape of Rin's neck and pulled him down into a brief kiss.

Rin blinked. Gou squealed, shocked, and Seijuro laughed. In the background, Rei just let out an irritated puff of air.

Haru pulled back, eyes smiling.

"We don't only kiss in the water," he told the others solemnly, and Rin couldn't help the ridiculously goofy grin that nearly cracked his face in half. His boyfriend showing affection was one thing, but his boyfriend showing affection purposefully in public was another.

Apparently the ocean could pull on the moon, too.


End file.
